Walk on the wild side

EAST Africa - a stretch of land that boasts some of the greatest natural wonders the world has to offer. Africa - an entire nation crippled due to the near-hysterical media attention over Ebola - a fatal disease sweeping through the western part of the continent this year. Like the adage about East and West where the twain will never meet, Tanzania in East Africa is far from Ebola's Ground Zero in the west - so we were not deterred by naysayers from exploring what this magnificent country has to offer.

Sadly, many luxury travel agents in Singapore and the rest of Asia are still seeing a decline in African bookings over lingering fears. But three safari destinations later and a safe return to Singapore, we are convinced that it is impossible to ignore this heaven on earth. Tanzania boasts one of the largest wildlife populations in the world. For the safari adventure-seeker, this is where you'll find everyone on "The Fives" list: namely the Big, Ugly, Tiny, Beautiful and much more.

While most travellers usually converge on the more established, popular safari locations, a new breed of camp that favours the "traditional" experience is appearing on the radars of more discerning travellers - those who value intimacy and connectivity to the environment over conventional hotel indulgences.